Upon his return to the metal house, Adrian was confronted with sheer ruin.

What was once a sturdy metal structure now lay as a hollow shell encircling a vast crater. There was no sign of Holden or Moss.

"Holden..." His voice resonating through the desolate ruins, Adrian shouted, “Holden! Where are you? I'm here to save you!"

He continued to shout, searching for Holden frantically, but his calls were met with silence. Then, he noticed a substantial patch of blood near the metal house's entrance.

Adrian's face hardened, his nerves stretched tight as he tried to deny the reality before him.

"It's not real," he muttered, stepping forward to inspect it closer.

Yet, it was unmistakably real.

Adrian trembled, still attempting to convince himself otherwise.

"Moss had sheep, right? This must be sheep's blood," he muttered to himself .

He then touched the dried blood, his knuckles blanching as he brought his blood-stained fingertip to his nose.

After that, feeling overwhelmed, Adrian lowered his head, tears flowing freely, his spirit nearly shattered.

The scent was not that of sheep's blood.

After shouting for a long time in vain, he dreaded the worst-the blood might belong to Holden.

Realizing this, Adrian collapsed onto the ground, weeping uncontroLlably.

His thoughts turned to the countless moments he had shared with Holden. He mulled over the possibility that the blood might belong to Moss, reminding himself that Holden hadn't been the only one at the scene.

A faint glimmer of hope surfaced as he considered the chance that Holden might have escaped before the catastrophe unfolded.

"That has to be it," Adrian reassured himself. He knew Holden well, and he believed Holden wouldn't just perish like that.

Maybe Holden had escaped before everything exploded. They had been separated during Bennett's car explosion but had found each other again before.

Holden was definitely okay. If someone like Moss could exist in this world, why couldn't Holden, the good guy, survive this?

Realizing time was of the essence, Adrian knew he needed to leave swiftly and remain vigilant for any sign of Holden.